Shohei Ohtani is pitching like he’s gunning for a Cy Young Award, but his bat has gone strangely quiet. The Dodgers’ two-way superstar is mired in a hitting slump that ranks among the worst of his MLB career—and it’s raising eyebrows across the baseball world.

Even the greatest hitters endure cold streaks, and Ohtani is no exception. But for a player coming off back-to-back 50-home run seasons, his recent struggles at the plate are hard to ignore. Entering Wednesday’s action, Ohtani was 0-for-17 over his last five games, with six walks but no hits. His batting average plummeted 38 points, dropping from .278 to .240 in just that span.

What makes this slump especially notable is the timing. These five hitless games were sandwiched between two starts on the mound—and the Dodgers have recently opted to hold Ohtani out of the lineup on days he pitches. That new cadence may be disrupting his rhythm at the plate, even as he continues to dominate as a pitcher.

Perhaps even more concerning than the hitless streak is the power outage. Over his last 20 games, Ohtani has managed just one home run. That projects to a pace of roughly eight homers over a full 162-game season—a staggering drop for a player who has redefined what’s possible with his bat.

This marks the first time Ohtani has gone hitless in five consecutive games since May 24–28, 2022. He broke the drought on Wednesday with a hit against the Houston Astros, but the stretch from April 30 to May 4 remains the worst offensive stretch of his Dodgers tenure.

For Dodgers fans and baseball purists alike, the question isn’t whether Ohtani will find his swing again—it’s how soon. With his arm firing on all cylinders, a return to form at the plate could make this season one for the ages. For now, we’re watching one of the game’s greatest talents work through a rare rough patch.